Officials deny role in backlash against Tibetan student

As suspicions mount about possible Chinese government influence being exerted on Canadian campuses, Chinese officials have denied involvement in a campaign of online vitriol against a Tibetan activist elected student president at the University of Toronto's Scarborough campus, reports CBC News.

Since her victory less than a week ago, 22-year-old Chemi Lhamo says she has been the target of fervent anti-Tibet harassment online – something at least one former intelligence officer says is a tactic consistent with China’s strategy of undermining political dissent.

But in a statement released recently, China's Consulate General in Toronto said it only learned of the online attacks against Lhamo from the media. However, the statement doesn't condemn the views expressed by thousands of commentators who have swarmed Lhamo's social media accounts in recent days. "It is believed that this is an entirely spontaneous action of those Chinese students based on objective facts and patriotic enthusiasm," the statement says.
Full report on the CBC News site